Nicholas Leslie Smith (28 January 1969 – 12 April 2026) was an English professional footballer. After his professional career ended, he played for several non-League teams whilst serving as a policeman and captained, coached and managed the England police team,[1][2] as well as managing AFC Sudbury.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Leslie Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 28 January 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Berkeley, England | ||
| Date of death | 12 April 2026 (aged 57) | ||
| Place of death | Chelmsford, England | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Southend United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1990 | Southend United | 60 | (6) |
| 1990–1994 | Colchester United | 157 | (12) |
| 1994 | Northampton Town | 6 | (1) |
| 1994–1997 | Sudbury Town | 154 | |
| 1997 | Cambridge City | ||
| 1997–2002 | Braintree Town | 164 | (19) |
| 2002–2005 | Maldon Town | ||
| 2005–2006 | Witham Town | ||
| 2006–2011 | A.F.C. Sudbury | 48 | (15) |
| International career | |||
| England national police team | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2011 | AFC Sudbury | ||
| 2011–? | England national police team | ||
| 2012 | Saffron Walden Town (Joint) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editBorn in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, Smith started his career at Southend United in the mid-1980s, before moving to Colchester United in 1990. He was in the team that won the FA Trophy and promotion to the Football League in 1992. He signed for Northampton Town in 1994, but made only six appearances before dropping into non-League with Sudbury Town in 1995, where he played alongside several other ex-Colchester players in a team that reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history.[3]
After leaving Sudbury, he played for several non-League clubs in East Anglia, including Cambridge City, Braintree Town, Maldon Town and Witham Town, before returning to Sudbury in 2006. In 2007, he became player-assistant manager, and on 17 May 2008 he was appointed manager of AFC Sudbury following the departure of Mark Morsley.[4] He resigned from the position in September 2011.[5] In 2012, he was appointed joint manager of Saffron Walden Town,[6][7] but resigned later the same year.[8]
Death
editHonours
edit- Football Conference: 1991–92
- FA Trophy: 1991–92
References
edit- ↑ Braintree: Tackling a new beat Gazette, 7 June 1999
- ↑ Smith And Wilmot Add to Their Jobs AFC Sudbury, 25 March 2011
- ↑ Football: FA Cup Countdown: Powling's paupers can cash in The Independent, 15 November 1996
- ↑ "Squad > First - Player details - Nicky Smith". www.afcsudbury.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ↑ A To Z The Men Of AFC Sudbury AFC Sudbury
- ↑ Wardley back as Bloods get step 6 go-ahead Non League Daily, 13 June 2012
- ↑ "Topics".
- ↑ Saffron Walden boss steps down Saffron Walden Reporter, 10 November 2012
- ↑ "Nicky Smith: Colchester United double-winner dies aged 57". BBC Sport. 13 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ 'We're proud to have called Nicky one of ours'
- ↑ "Conference Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
- ↑ "FA Trophy Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
External links
edit- "Nicky Smith AFC Sudbury". Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- Nicky Smith at Colchester United Archive Database